WitchHunt
by YinYangWriter
Summary: Sequel to Rainbow Eyes. Goliath's hurt, Brooklyn's been kidnapped, and why does his cellmate look familiar
1. Chapter 1

**This is a collaboration piece with gargoyleslady. Neither of us own **_**Gargoyles**_**, but the basic plot is gargoyleslady's and the OC's are my creation. Also, I do not speak Latin or French, and my Spanish is not what it used to be. If I have made any mistakes, I apologize ahead of time. If you let me know where I've made a mistake, I will go back and fix them. This story is the sequel to **_**Rainbow Eyes**_**, so those who wanted their questions about Iris answered, here you go! Expect delays since there is still editing to be done. Please enjoy and review.**

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><p>It had started out as a quiet night. The island of Manhattan was strangely peaceful. The gargoyles who patrolled the city could not complain; it made their work easier. Tonight, they had split into two teams. Broadway, Lexington and Angela took the upper half of the city and Goliath and Brooklyn the lower. Hudson and Bronx stayed at the castle as usual.<p>

"Goliath, down there," Brooklyn said, pointing to a rooftop to his right. "What is that?"

Goliath turned. There was something on top of the rooftop in question. It looked like a winch of some sort. There were two men on the roof.

"I do not know," the leader growled. "Let's investigate."

They circled around and saw that it was a robbery in progress.

"Only two?" asked Brooklyn. "This should be simple enough."

"Yes. Too simple." Goliath narrowed his eyes. "Proceed with caution, Brooklyn. They may have a surprise in store for us."

_Against us?_ Brooklyn thought with an inner chuckle.

The two gargoyles swooped down and dispatched the two men on the roof. The skylight was open and the winch was being used to haul something through the window. Goliath and Brooklyn easily dropped down and began their search.

"You go that way," said Goliath, pointing to an exhibit wing. "I'll go this way."

"Okay," Brooklyn said with a nod.

Brooklyn silently moved into an exhibit wing. He heard a crash and whipped around. He could not find the origin of the noise. Lowering himself to the floor, he began to walk on all fours.

"Will you hurry it up?" hissed a voice.

"I'm trying!" came an exasperated whisper. "This thing won't break!"

"Then bring it with. We are running out of time."

"All right."

Brooklyn came around a pedestal and saw two men dressed in black. One of them was shoving a gold stick into his bag. With a growl, Brooklyn came out of hiding and stood to his full height, eyes blazing white.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" he asked darkly.

One thief pulled out a laser gun and shot at Brooklyn. Brooklyn, accustomed to being shot at, easily moved out of the line of fire. The laser put a fist-sized hole in the wall behind where he had been standing.

Goliath heard the noise and turned back the way he came. Something struck him from behind, sending a stabbing pain up his spine. He fell to his knees and looked over his shoulder. Two humans were behind him. One was holding a mace from an exhibit. There was blood dripping from the spikes. With a roar, Goliath pounced on them, adrenaline numbing the pain he was feeling.

These men were well prepared to fight anything stronger than a human. Goliath quickly found out that the thieves were wearing some sort of armor. He bruised his knuckles when he punched one of them in the stomach. The other came at him brandishing a combat knife. Goliath backhanded him away, sending him crashing into a glass display case, triggering the alarms.

The struggle continued as the other thief slammed his fists into Goliath's ribs, each strike feeling like rocks being thrown at him. Goliath was shot in the chest by some sort of lightning gun one of the thieves possessed. He fell to the ground. He looked up to see the thief he had knocked into the display case standing over him with a gun.

"Hurry it up!" shouted his partner.

Goliath flicked his tail and knocked the gun from the thief's hand. The thief cried out and went for the gun.

"Leave it!" the other said. "We gotta go! That one's as good as dead!"

They ran off.

Goliath got to his feet and gave chase. He saw them hurry up the rope along with two others. Unable to stay on his feet, Goliath fell to his hands and knees. He looked on to see if he could find anything he could use to distinguish these thieves so he could tell Elisa. He saw a yellow patch on each of their sleeves, the letter I with a circle cutting through the stem and a red flame.

As his sight began to become blurry, he saw two of the men hook up something to the winch, a red form with stark white hair.

"Brooklyn," breathed Goliath in horror. He reached out to his second-in-command vainly before blacking out completely.

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><p>Goliath gasped and sat up quickly, vaguely aware of his surroundings. However he was well aware of the pain in his body and was forced to lie back down.<p>

"Lad, you're awake," came Hudson's voice.

Goliath turned to his old friend. "They took Brooklyn."

"We know," said Broadway. "Elisa told us."

The others had gathered around. Goliath saw he was lying in the infirmary. His hands and chest were bandaged. The skin between his wings throbbed terribly.

"Elisa?" Goliath was confused. Everything had just happened. How could Elisa already know? "How long was I asleep?"

"Not long," Lexington replied. "We carried you back here an hour ago. You were unconscious when we found you."

"You had us worried," said Hudson. "Frightened Elisa quite a bit, ye did. She thought you were dead at first. She's the one who found you."

"I have to find Brooklyn," Goliath said, trying to get up a second time.

"You're in no condition to glide, Father," Angela quickly said, gently pushing him back onto his pillow.

"Then you must find him," Goliath struggled to say. The pain was beginning to become almost unbearable.

Angela turned and said something to someone standing out of Goliath's field of vision. She stepped aside as Owen Burnett moved to Goliath's side. The majordomo was holding a single use syringe, Goliath guessing filled with a powerful tranquilizer to make him sleep.

"Wait," he said. "I saw something. . . on their sleeves, they wore an emblem resembling the letter I with a circle and a flame. They all wore it."

Goliath swallowed the moan of pain that willed itself into his mouth. "Broadway, you lead. Just until I'm healed."

"Okay," Broadway said quickly.

With that, Owen pressed the syringe into Goliath's arm. Within seconds Goliath's eyes fluttered closed and he was asleep.

The others turned to Broadway, their faces asking him what their orders were. Broadway apprehensively turned to Hudson, looking for some guidance.

"It's all right, lad," the elder said. "I will be here to help you."

"Where do we start?" asked Lexington.

"Where else?" asked Broadway. "The scene of the crime."

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><p>Brooklyn groaned. He was lying on a metal floor. Raising his head, he found he was in a cage. "Terrific," he muttered, looking at the metal bars of his confinement.<p>

"So," came a voice near Brooklyn, "they're after gargoyles now, too."

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><p><strong>Major cliff, I know. Like I said, there are going to be some delays. Hopefully Chapter 2 will be up by next week.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Fair warning: My Latin is non-existant! I've picked up what I could from dictionaries and from _Gargoyles_ episodes. If I've messed it up, tell me how and correct me. Thank you.**

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><p>"So, they're after gargoyles now, too."<p>

Brooklyn quickly saw he was not the only one confined to a cage. The voice belonged to a young woman in a cage of her own adjacent to him. She was sitting near the bars. Brooklyn crawled over to her so he could get a better look at her face. Moving proved painful. No bones were broken from what he could tell, but he had plenty of lesser wounds.

The young woman was about his age in human years from what he could judge. She looked very strange, but at the same time familiar. She wore a gray dress, black leggings, silver pumps, and a blue belt and a sash coming over one shoulder. Her hair was bobbed just above her shoulders, framing her face, and appeared to be made of silver. Her face was narrow and pale and her eyes were slanted, a peculiar shade of light blue, almost opaque. Thin pale pink lips twitched into a rueful smile.

"I was hoping they wouldn't go after your kind," the young woman said. Her voice was a little scratchy and there was a lilt to it, not Scottish, but it was familiar to Brooklyn. Why did this girl look so familiar to him? "So much for wishing."

Brooklyn found his voice. "Who are you? What is going on? Who were those men?"

"They call themselves 'Illuminators'," she answered. "They deal with anything considered unnatural: objects, animals, people." She pressed her lips together hard. "And they destroy them. 'Cleanse them' as they would say." She lowered her head and peeked over at the door. "They're going to kill us both. They'll probably shatter you while you sleep, but my death will be more painful."

"Why do you say that?" asked Brooklyn.

She turned back to him. "They accused me of being a witch."

Brooklyn frowned. "Don't they hang witches?" He knew that some accused of witchcraft were sentenced to more horrible deaths. Wishful thinking wanted him to believe her death would be swift and all but painless.

The young woman laughed. "In the wonderful United States of America, they used to. Not where these guys are from, wherever they're from. No, I'm going to be burned at the stake."

She let out a heavy sigh. "They haven't killed me yet, so they haven't found my friend."

"Your friend is looking for you?" asked Brooklyn. "Mine are probably worried about me."

"Yeah, they want her, too. She's no witch, but she is a powerful one." She laughed. "Oh, if they're not prepared, they'll be recovering in the hospital for months. She won't kill them, but she'll make them wish they were dead."

Brooklyn waited for her to focus on him. "I'm called Brooklyn. What's your name?"

"Ariana. Ariana Caelum."

"And are you really a witch?" asked Brooklyn.

Ariana grinned. "You bet," she said with a nod. "I'm probably one of the few they kidnapped who really is what they accuse."

His stomach knotted up. "You mean, they've burned innocent people?" he asked, his eyes beginning to glow.

The glow from Brooklyn's eyes eerily lit up Ariana's face and made her hair sparkle. He could see she had her own share of bruises. "Yeah," she replied. She looked at her cage. "I've gone through every spell I can think of to get me out. I only have one shot and if I blow it, I'm screwed. I have a few ideas of what to do, but none are sure fire."

"Perhaps I can help," said Brooklyn.

Ariana raised a slim eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Brooklyn moved to the bars at the front of the cage. "These are probably steel. I may not be able to bend them easily, but I think I can bend them enough so I can slip through."

"So how did they catch you?" Ariana asked.

"I was trying to stop a robbery," Brooklyn began. He gave a start. "Oh, no! Goliath!"

"Who?" Ariana frowned.

"My friend," Brooklyn quickly replied. "He was with me. Do you know if they caught him?"

Ariana shook her head. "If they caught him, he would be here. Provided they decided to bring him back alive."

"What?" Brooklyn's eyes blazed. "Goliath's not dead! He would not fall so easily!"

He had to give Ariana some credit. She did not flinch away when he became angry. It was almost as if this was not her first meeting with gargoyles.

"Relax," she said calmly. "I believe you. I was only looking at all the possibilities, not matter how unlikely. You don't have to be angry, okay?"

The glow from his eyes faded.

Ariana smiled again. "If you are so worried, maybe I can help. Or at least my friend can. All I have to do is tell her where your friend is. She'll do the rest."

"It's not so simple," said Brooklyn.

"Sure it is," said Ariana. "Simpler than this, anyway." She motioned to their current predicament.

Brooklyn had to agree with that. He couldn't just tell some stranger where his clan lived. Goliath, if he was all right, would have his hide for sure if he did. And he didn't know who Ariana's friend was. Could she be trustworthy enough to keep their secret?

"All right," Brooklyn said. "If she can help Goliath, then it's worth the risk."

Ariana nodded in understanding. "Give me details, Brooklyn. I need to be able to tell her where to go."

A bit reluctant, Brooklyn told Ariana about the Eyrie Building and described Goliath to her.

"That's all I need," said Ariana. "My friend will do the rest."

"But how do we get the message to her?" asked Brooklyn.

Ariana gave a knowing grin. "I'm a witch, remember?"

"But how?" Brooklyn asked again.

"Let me worry about this," Ariana said.

Brooklyn watched Ariana lie down on her back. The cage wasn't large enough for her to stretch out completely, so she turned herself so she was lying diagonally. Ariana took a deep breath, let it out, and closed her eyes. With another deep breath, she spoke in a faint whisper, "Mea amicus, audicus."

Brooklyn's Latin was rusty, but he was very sure Ariana just said, "My friend, hear this."

Whatever Ariana was doing was taking some time. She probably had to focus on what she was doing and Brooklyn thought it best not to make a sound. She was perfectly still, her chest rising and falling slowly. She almost looked asleep, except for her eyes. Closed they may have been, but they were darting beneath their lids. They stopped and Ariana's lips twitched slightly, like she was speaking. However she was getting in contact with her friend, she had done it.

The door to the prison opened and a group of men came in. Brooklyn feigned exhaustion and pain and curled into a tight ball on the floor. He kept his face partially covered with his wing and a few strands of hair. He could see them, but they couldn't see if his eyes were open. All the men — Brooklyn counted five — were dressed in black. Only one, the leader, wore a bright yellow and red vest with the Illuminator's insignia emblazoned over his heart and on the back.

"This one's still asleep," said the leader.

"We did a number on him, boss," said one of the other men. "I doubt he'll wake at all tonight."

"Do you think we should hand him over to the Quarrymen? They'll pay money for him. We do need to make allies after all."

There was a sound of a fist connecting with someone's jaw. The man who spoke fell to the ground. The leader absently rubbed his knuckles as he moved over to Ariana's cage.

"So, she finally gave it up," another man said. "She wouldn't shut up for five seconds when we brought her in. Good thing we took the book from her. She can't use her magic without it."

"What about her other items?" asked the leader.

"They are prepared for cleansing, sir," said the man.

"Shouldn't we hold onto the book?" asked the fifth man. "If we can find a way to open it, it could lead us to more items."

Brooklyn watched the leader turn to the fifth man and prepared to strike him. The man hopped out of the way and asked to be forgiven.

"Everything must be cleansed," said the leader. "The only reason she has had an extended stay here is because she is the only one who can lead us to the medium. She is no good to us dead. The medium will come to rescue her and when she does, we will trap her and they can die together."

"How do we catch her?" asked the fifth man.

The leader glared, but did not threaten to strike him. He turned back to Ariana. Brooklyn saw that the leader's face was covered by a gold and crimson mask. He wasn't able to see what he was thinking, but the leader's body language made Brooklyn fear for Ariana.

In a five second span, the leader gasped, reached behind him and pulled out a cattle prod and jammed it into Ariana's leg. Ariana screamed and convulsed. Brooklyn leapt up and tried to make a grab for the leader. He missed and roared loudly. The five men rushed out of the room, the leader lingering for a brief moment more before slamming the door behind him.

"Ariana?" Brooklyn reached through the bars to touch her. "Ariana?"

Ariana moaned when he touched her shoulder. She opened her eyes. "I got the message to her." Her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

Brooklyn watched Ariana in her cattle prod induced slumber. All he could do now was pray and wait and plan.


	3. Chapter 3

The other gargoyles spoke to Elisa and Matt on the rooftop of a nearby building. The only thing that appeared to be stolen was a flute called the Pied Piper's Pipe.

"Legends say whoever plays the Pipe is able to hypnotize anyone or anything to their bidding," Elisa said, reading from the notes the curator gave her. "But they have to keep playing the Pipe in order to hold their control."

"Another fair folk's relic?" asked Hudson.

"It could be," Elisa said. "I've heard of the story of the Pied Piper. A town asked him to play his pipe so the infestation of rats would leave. When they refused to pay him, he took their children away."

"What a horrible trickster!" cried Angela.

"Like Puck wasn't bad enough," murmured Lexington.

Matt lightened the mood. "When the town paid him, he returned all the children unharmed."

"Do we have any surveillance video from the heist?" asked Broadway.

"Yes and no," answered Matt. "The fights between the thieves and Brooklyn and Goliath happened off camera. We did see the emblem Goliath was talking about."

Matt produced a still frame photograph of one of the thieves' sleeve. There was an I with a ring and a flame.

"I've seen this before," said Hudson.

"Where?" asked Broadway.

"In the wee lass' room," Hudson answered, referring to Iris. "She sleepwalks, you know, and she drew that same emblem. I checked on her one night and saw it on her desk."

"Maybe you should go ask her about it," said Broadway.

"Aye," said Hudson. "I'll do that." He turned and leapt off the rooftop.

"What about us?" asked Lexington.

Broadway thought for a moment. "Did anyone see where they went? If they left through the roof, they would have to get down to the street somehow."

"Unless they had a helicopter," added Lexington. "They could be in the next state by now."

"With a gargoyle?" asked Elisa. "Unless they planned to take Brooklyn, I doubt they would have anything on hand to restrain him for transport."

"If I know Brooklyn," said Matt, "he'll fight tooth and talon to get away."

"So they have to be nearby," said Broadway thoughtfully.

"He's probably still in Manhattan," said Elisa.

"That narrows the area of our search," said Angela.

"Any place out of earshot of a gargoyle's roar," Broadway added. "They would need a base of operations. A place to store the stolen goods until they could get rid of them."

"I can only think of a few places like that," said Elisa. "An abandoned subway tunnel would be out of the public eye and ear. You would have to be close to hear something like a gargoyle roaring."

"Let's start there," said Broadway.

Broadway, Lexington, and Angela began their search.

"Why just steal a Pipe?" asked Lexington. "Why not something else? Or something more?"

"Perhaps my father and Brooklyn did not give them the time," supplied Angela.

"Or maybe the Pipe was just what they wanted," said Broadway. "Let's hope Iris knows something."

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><p>Hudson returned to the castle and searched for Iris. Her human guise, Whitney, was in the garden. Whitney was busy pulling up weeds and speaking to the tomato plants. The girl was a miracle worker with plants. In two weeks what were spindly stems that could barely support themselves were the size of small trees.<p>

"Lass, I need to speak with you," Hudson said.

Whitney continued to yank weeds. "What is it?" she asked quickly. A bit too quickly.

Hudson let out a heavy sigh. "I have a feeling that you already know what I am going to ask you."

Whitney slowly turned to Hudson. Her ice blue eyes were filled with fear. "Ask your question, Hudson," she said in a small voice.

"The ones who took you, do you remember where they took you?"

Whitney shook her head. "No, I don't. The only thing I remember is the stone cell. Why are you asking?"

Something in her voice made Hudson believe she knew more. "You heard us. You heard what Goliath said, didn't you, lass?"

Whitney nodded. "They have Brooklyn." She took a shaky breath. It was clear to Hudson she was trying to keep herself from sobbing in terror. "If I knew something, I would tell you. I'm sorry."

"'Tis all right, Whitney lass," Hudson told her.

Whitney nodded again. "Is there anything else you need to ask me?"

"Nay, that's all," Hudson said.

Whitney threw the weeds in her hand into the basket, took off her gardening gloves, and swiftly made her way inside. Hudson did not need to wonder where she was going in such a hurry. When Whitney was upset, she would run to the trickster. It seemed the only one who could calm her when she was terrified was Puck.

Hudson climbed onto the parapet and prepared to take off. Bronx came out and whined.

"Yes, you may come, too," Hudson grumbled, picking Bronx up. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

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><p>Broadway, Lexington, and Angela found an abandoned subway tunnel.<p>

"Could this be it?" asked Angela.

"Maybe," said Broadway. "There's no telling where they took him. There are many abandoned tunnels."

"We should have brought Bronx," said Lexington.

A whoosh of air caught their attention. They looked up to see Hudson coming in for a landing, Bronx in his arms.

"I thought we could use some help," Hudson said.

Bronx barked happily, anticipating that he was needed to help with the search for one of his masters.

Broadway turned to Hudson. "Did Iris tell you anything that could help us?"

"No." Hudson shook his head sadly. "The only thing that came out of me asking was her running to the trickster."

The others hung their heads. None of them had seen Iris during one of her panic attacks or when she would sleepwalk, but they heard the outcome usually from Xanatos or Fox asking no one to disturb her for the time being. None of them could fathom what she had been through.

Bronx was sniffing around and growling. With a bark, he lunged forward into the tunnel.

"Looks like he smells Brooklyn," said Broadway.

"Or a cat," Lexington said wryly.

The others bounded after Bronx on all fours.

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><p><strong>Tell me what you think. Again, expect delays, especially now since I've decided to rewrite what chapters I've completed but have not posted. Hopefully Chapter 4 will be up in a week or so.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**I know it's taking a bit more time than usual to get these chapters up, but I appreciate your patience. And patience pays off. :) Please review.**

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><p>Owen was busying himself typing at the computer in his office. The door opened and a series of rushed, light footsteps made him look up from the monitor. A pair of arms circled his neck as he looked up.<p>

"Whitney," he said. Owen scooted the chair back so she would have room to sit on his lap. Whitney curled up to him like a small child afraid of the thunder. "Calm down. There is nothing to fear." He rubbed one hand in soothing circles between her shoulder blades. He had learned this usually calmed her in seconds. Not this night. Whitney wasn't crying, but she was shaking with the effort to hold back the tears.

"They have him," she whispered. Owen could hear Iris' voice mingle with Whitney's.

Owen eyes narrowed slightly. "I had hoped you hadn't heard us. I knew you were standing at the door to the infirmary. I was not expecting Goliath to describe the emblem of your captors."

Whitney swallowed and lifted her head from its place on Owen shoulder. "I would have found out. I may not be a trickster like you, but I can put the pieces together. Hudson asked me about them. I had a feeling one of them would ask me about it. At first I just hoped I was being paranoid, but when Hudson asked about it, I knew they had Brooklyn. I'm just glad Hudson was the one to ask."

Owen could not have agreed more. If one of the trio or Angela had inquired, Whitney would be in a worse state than she was now. Goliath would have urged her passed the pain some to get more information. So would have Detective Maza or Detective Bluestone. But Hudson understood emotional pain and knew when to let it drop. The old gargoyle could see the hurt in anyone, a skill acquired through age and wisdom.

Continuing to rub the spot between her shoulder blades, Owen asked, "Would you like a hot drink?"

Whitney looked up and nodded. "Cocoa?" she asked.

"Of course," said Owen. He took a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and dabbed the corners of Whitney's eyes, absorbing the tears that she refused to shed. He pushed Whitney away gently so he could get up. Owen walked to the door with her following him like his own shadow.

"You may sleep in my room tonight," Owen said. "I know you prefer it over your own. And use the bed this time. The floor cannot be comfortable."

Whitney let out a snort of embarrassed laughter. "I didn't know I was waking you in the middle of the night."

"I do not sleep," said Owen. "I close my eyes for a few minutes and the rest of the time I am wide awake. I simply stay in bed so I do not disturb — " Owen abruptly stopped his sentence. His head jerked around, looking at the ceiling. "How the devil did I not sense that earlier?"

Before Whitney could ask what he was talking about, Owen had thrown open the door and was sprinting through the corridor. Whitney chased after him. It was only when they got closer to the infirmary did Whitney sense what had Owen dashing through the halls like a madman: there was another power in the castle.

**While Owen and Whitney are speaking**

She had been waiting on the roof of a nearby skyscraper to make her move. She had seen one gargoyle return to the Eyrie Building for several minutes and then leave with the gargoyle's dog. Dressed in black from her hood to her shoes, he never saw her as he glided over her head. After watching him glide off into the distance, she turned back to the Eyrie Building.

A long moment past before she made her move. A pair of wings made of golden light sprouted from her back. With one mighty beat, she was off the roof and in the air, soaring to the castle in the sky. She was aware of the danger that awaited her there. Aside from the gargoyles, there were two full-blooded changelings who resided within the stone walls and another two with human ancestry. Of the two with human ancestry, she could tell that the younger was the stronger. The other, older mixed-blood had only a flicker of magic, but was still formidable in other ways. But this would not stop her. Ariana had risked her life to send her the message about the gargoyle called Goliath. She remembered how suddenly and violently their connection had been severed. If she ever got her hands on the one who harmed Ariana, she would make certain he stayed down for good.

She made her way inside, using her sixth sense to guide her to Goliath. She found her way to the infirmary. Goliath was lying very still on the bed. She gasped. He was injured severely. From what she could sense, he had serious gashes between his wings. Those wounds were causing most of his pain. He had been electrocuted in some fashion as well.

"Oh, you poor thing," she breathed.

Goliath sensed that she was there and she could sense that he was beginning to wake. She would need to work quickly so he did not wake up and injure himself more.

She moved to the side of the bed. If she could have, she would have reached around and placed one of her hands on the damaged tissue between the wings. She was unable to do that, so she settled for placing one on his injured ribs. The other was placed on his chest.

"Shh," she cooed when he stirred under her touch. "Shh."

Her hands were covered with fingerless gloves. As she began to work, her fingers began to glow as did her eyes.

She could sense the two full-blooded changelings coming for her. She had hoped to heal Goliath part way before they showed up, but one of them was keen on sensing changes in energy.

Owen entered the room first, his handgun drawn. "Step away from him," he commanded.

She turned to Owen. Owen could not see her face, but he could sense something coming and it was not going to be fun.

"Ruth, take care of him," she said.

The gun was knocked out of Owen's hands and something slammed into his gut. The force sent him flying into the wall behind him.

"Owen!" cried Whitney from the door.

"Stay there!" Owen told her. He got to his feet and looked around. There was nothing there. What had hit him?

The girl in black had turned away from him and was focusing on Goliath. Her hands were glowing strangely, like they were lit up from the inside. She was not the least bit concerned about who else was in the room.

Owen went for his gun only to have it moved out of his reach by some unforseen force. However he did catch a glimpse of metal as it came down near his wrist. There was the sound of metallic scraping on stone. For a brief moment, Owen saw a pair of dark boots and the hem of a deep blue cloak.

"Stop it!" The cry came not from Whitney, but from Iris. She had abandoned her human form and was floating just inside the door. She was wearing a sheath dress of iridescent colors hemmed with silver ribbon and silver slippers. Her eyes were black with anger, a spark of green fey magic glowing like an ember. Her jet black hair was fluttering around her. "You will not touch him again!" she screamed, the green glow taking over her eyes completely.

A green light shot from Iris' eyes and hit something. It took the form of a young woman dressed in a blue tunic, dark blue leggings, dark boots and gloves, and a deep blue cloak. On her belt was the sheath for her large sword that she was currently holding in one hand. Her face was pale with high cheekbones. Bright blue eyes were fixed on Iris. Her hair was a very light blond, short and feathery.

Owen got to his feet and kicked the woman in the back. She went sprawling on the floor, dropping her sword. She looked at him, astonished. "You kicked me," she said in disbelief. She had a clear voice. "I do not believe one of the living has ever kicked me before without my letting it."

"What is going on?"

They all turned to the sound of the voice. Goliath was sitting up, looking a little dazed. The girl in black stepped away. The woman stood up and sheathed her sword. She walked over to the girl in black and took her place by her side.

"Goliath, are you all right?" asked Owen.

Goliath rubbed his temples. "Yes, I'm fine." He looked at his hand, turning it over to inspect his knuckles. They were unmarked. He reached up and began to remove the bandages around his chest.

"Goliath, wait!" Owen said.

"Don't!" cried Iris.

Goliath put up his hand. "It's all right," he said gently.

Below the bandages was nothing but unmarred skin. Goliath carefully ran one hand over where his wounds had been. He stood up and stretched his wings. There was no pain in his back.

Iris came up behind him and brushed some of his hair aside to get a better view of the skin between his wings. "Owen, they're gone!" she said, her eyes turning emerald in her surprise.

"How is this possible?" Owen asked. He turned to the two intruders standing quietly off to the side. They were completely unfazed. "How did you — "

"It is easy when you can control your life energy to do whatever you will it to do," said the woman with blond hair. "And when you possess a surplus of power, healing another is a simple task." She turned to the girl in black and put a hand on her shoulder. "That is exactly what young Morgan can do."

The girl reached up and pulled her hood down. Messy brown hair tumbled over her shoulders and hung in her face. Behind the hair was a pair of brown eyes that glowed with a queer inner light. She smiled shyly at them.

"But how did you know Goliath was here?" asked Iris. Her eyes kept shifting in their color: green, brown, and hazel, reflecting her shock, her confusion, and her attempts at trying to understand what was happening.

"I sense energies, auras," came the quiet reply. Morgan's voice was not as quiet as Iris' and it sounded more human. "My friend is a sorceress. She has been captured by Illuminators."

"Vicious persecutors of all things weird if there ever were," snarled the woman.

"Please, Ruth, that will not help them," said Morgan. "As I was saying, my friend is a sorceress and she was capture by these people. She's been there for three days. They will kill her soon if they don't find me. Anyway, she managed to use a spell to contact me. She learned about you from another gargoyle called Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn's all right?" Goliath interrupted.

"He's alive, if that's what you mean," said Morgan. "Ariana — that's my friend's name — said that they are probably going to kill him after sunrise or their going to hand him over to the Quarrymen."

"They will kill him for certain," said Owen.

Morgan nodded in agreement.

"Do you know where they are?" asked Goliath.

"Yes," replied Morgan. "But Ariana told me not to come. The only thing keeping her alive is me staying away. They need her to get to me and they know it. If I go to save her, they could capture me and we would both end up dead."

"But what about Brooklyn?" cried Iris.

"Calm down," said Ruth. "Ariana is more than capable of protecting him. I am certain she is only biding her time to escape. The girl is very clever for one so young."

"But the others went looking for Brooklyn," said Goliath. "We have to find them. They could be walking into a trap. I must go after them."

Goliath jumped out of bed and ran out of the infirmary.

"Wait!" Morgan called. She jogged up to him. "You'll need me to find them."

"Morgan, no," said Ruth. "It's too dangerous."

"He'll never find them in time," Morgan pressed. "I know the aura of the eldest. If I track him, he'll lead us to the others."

"Morgan Stormwell, you are a foolish child!" Ruth snapped. She sighed. "I doubt that there is anything I can say to dissuade you."

"You're right," Morgan said.

Shaking her head, Ruth waved her hand. "Then go." She disappeared.

Morgan touched Goliath's arm. "We should go now."

Goliath and Morgan went outside. Goliath walked to the edge of the battlements and reached out to pick Morgan up. Morgan had other ideas. She hopped up on the stone parapets and jumped. She did not fall far before her wings of light appeared and began to fly in the direction of downtown.

"Coming?" she called over her shoulder.

Goliath followed.

Owen and Iris saw them glide off.

"What is she?" Iris asked, a nervous hazel-gold.

"Someone we need to keep a close eye on," Owen replied stoically.

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><p><strong>Review, review! XD I've noticed that there are a lot of readers for this story, the most I ever had for just one in such a short amount of time. Thank you for reading.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**I remind you once more that I do not speak Latin or French. What I pick up is what I find in dictionaries. So if I've messed up the Latin in this, tell me. I'm pretty sure I've got the French down in this.**

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><p>Brooklyn heard a groan. He turned to see Ariana rolling over in her cell. "Stay still," he said to her.<p>

Ariana lay on her side, pulling herself into a ball. Her hands covered her face. "God, this hurts!" she hissed.

"It's going to," muttered Brooklyn. "I found it helps if you stay still and try not to think about it."

"Gonna knock that guy senseless when I get out of here," she vowed. "How long have I been out?"

"Long enough," said Brooklyn. "The more we wait, the less time we have to escape."

"How long do you think we have?" Ariana asked.

"Three hours, maybe four," said Brooklyn. "I'm not being overly generous with my guess. I honestly do not know what time it is."

Ariana sat up. "Then we better get started."

Brooklyn nodded. He moved over to the door of his cage and grabbed the bars. He grunted as he pulled, his eyes turning white with his efforts. The bars bent, but they did not break away.

"You've gotta be kidding," he said.

Ariana moved over to him. "I have an idea." She threaded her arm between the bars of her cage. She pointed a finger at the bent bars. "Frigidus!"

The bars groaned as they became cold and brittle. Brooklyn reached out and smashed the bars with his open hand. There was enough room for him to squeeze through.

Ariana turned and pointed to the bars of her cage and said the spell again. She brought her foot up and kicked them hard. The result was a slight crack and a gasp of pain from Ariana.

"Are you okay?" asked Brooklyn.

"I'm fine!" Ariana said, rubbing her ankle. "That was stupid."

"Let me get them." Brooklyn smashed the bars of Ariana's cage and helped her out. "Now, to find a way out of here."

"They have some of my things," said Ariana. "I cannot leave without them. If you want to go, you can."

Brooklyn shook his head. "Not without you."

"Okay," said Ariana.

They crept along the narrow passageways. Brooklyn's keen sight kept them from walking into anything in the dark. There were voices at the end of one of the passageways.

"How long until the Quarrymen come?"

"In an hour or so?"

"What about the witch's things?"

"They'll be cleansed here in a minute."

Ariana gasped. "Not them. Not the book."

Brooklyn placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and he jerked his head in the direction of another passageway, one that led around to where the Illuminators were. Ariana followed Brooklyn.

"Should we keep the book?" one of them asked.

"Why? None of us can open it."

"No doubt that it is enchanted. It's better to burn it than to leave it in existence."

Brooklyn whispered in Ariana's ear. "Know any spells that can stop them?"

"Yes," replied Ariana.

Ariana boldly stepped out of hiding. She put up both her hands. "Duermen!" she cried. Her hands glowed silver for a moment and the Illuminators dropped to the floor.

Brooklyn whistled. "Jalepena, Ariana. What did you do to them?"

"Not much," Ariana replied. "Just put them to sleep." She looked at the sleeping men and grinned maliciously. "But since they have caused us both trouble and threatened our lives and the lives of our friends, I think they deserve more than just mere sleep." One of her hands was already glowing and she held it over her head.

"Ariana, what are you doing?" Brooklyn asked. "Wait!"

"Bete noire!" she hissed. Her hand ceased to glow.

The Illuminators she had enchanted began to moan and fidget in their sleep.

Brooklyn took a step back, alarmed. "What have you done?" he asked quietly.

Ariana turned to Brooklyn. "Don't worry. My spells only last so long. They will have to wake at some point."

"But your second spell — what was it?"

Ariana's lips turned up in a dark smile. "A nightmare spell. Hopefully they'll think twice before crossing someone like me again."

Brooklyn forced back a shudder. For one who was human, Ariana had the ability to unnerve him to the point where he wanted to flee and have nothing to do with her. "We should go," he said.

"Right," agreed Ariana. "I think I know where they are keeping my things."

They started off with Ariana leading this time. Soon they found a room that was much warmer than any of the passageways. Ariana walked over to a door and touched the handle.

"Ouch!" she yelped and her hand recoiled. "It's hot," she told Brooklyn.

"Let me get it," said Brooklyn. "You should take a few steps back."

Ariana obediently stepped away. Brooklyn opened the door. Ariana jumped a few more steps back and moved away from the door. It was a little warm inside in Brooklyn's opinion. No doubt it was much hotter to Ariana.

There was a metal table just inside the door. The only thing on the table was a large bundle of black cloth. Thinking that there may be something under it, Brooklyn picked it up and moved it out of the room. He closed the door so Ariana could come look at what he had found.

"That's it," she said, taking the bundle from him. She placed it on the ground and stroked the cloth with one finger. "Manny. Manny, wake up."

Brooklyn let out a cry of surprise as the cloth moved on its own. It unfurled itself and wrapped around Ariana's shoulders.

"Hey, Manny," she crooned. She turned to Brooklyn. "It won't hurt you. Manny, say hello."

The cloth, Manny, stood up on two corners and faced Brooklyn. It held out one corner like it wanted to shake hands. Brooklyn just stared.

"Brooklyn, don't be rude," said Ariana.

Brooklyn cautiously extended one hand. His hand was quickly snatched by Manny and shook. "It's kind of. . ." Brooklyn wasn't sure what to say about Manny.

Ariana seemed to understand. She was smiling at them.

Brooklyn looked at what Manny had been wrapped around. There was an old book with silver clasps, a bobbin of silver thread, a large pendant necklace of silver and onyx on a silver chain, and more balled up fabric.

"Have they no respect for old books?" Ariana muttered angrily as she picked up the book and fabric. She tucked the book under her arm and shook out the fabric. It was a black and midnight blue messenger bag and it looked like it was handmade. "Back where you belong," Ariana said, placing the book in the bag.

"I'm beginning to see a theme," Brooklyn said.

Ariana grinned. "Black, silver, and midnight blue are my favorite colors."

"Especially the silver," said Brooklyn, ruffling his own white hair.

Ariana laughed. "Now that I have my things, we can go now."

With Ariana's possessions either in her bag and around her neck, Brooklyn took the lead and they began to search for an exit.

"I have a thought," said Brooklyn.

"Only one?" Ariana quipped humorously.

Brooklyn rolled his eyes. "I was thinking if we continue along these tunnels, one of them has to lead to the Labyrinth."

"The Labyrinth?" asked Ariana. "What's that?"

"It's a place where the homeless take shelter," Brooklyn replied. "I have a couple friends down there."

They walked a bit farther before either of them said anything again.

"You said that you and Goliath were trying to stop a robbery," Ariana said. "Do you know what they stole?"

"No really," Brooklyn answered. "I saw one of them put a gold stick in his bag, but I don't know what it was."

"A stick?" Ariana thought for a moment. "Maybe a scepter of some sort?"

"I don't know," said Brooklyn. "You don't think they could use it to hurt someone, do you?"

"Chances are slim," replied Ariana. "These guys will follow any lead and believe any rumor. For all we know there could be an old folk legend involving it and they take it as fact. Remember what I said about me being one of the few they captured and were right about? They do the same thing for objects. If they could get away with it, I'll bet they would try to blow up Stonehenge."

Brooklyn chuckled at the thought of the Illuminators trying to blow up Stonehenge and explain to local law enforcement why they were trying to do so. But on the inside he was praying that Ariana was right about them chasing stories. If the item really had magic, the Illuminators could create all sorts of chaos.

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><p><strong>Give me feedback people! Reviews, comments, questions, concerns, send them. Thank you for being patient with me.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Please forgive me for taking so long with this last chapter. As you see, it's long.**

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><p>Bronx had lost the trail almost twenty minutes ago, but they pressed on, hoping he would catch the scent again.<p>

"Do you think we should turn back?" Angela asked Broadway. "Maybe Bronx can pick up the trail again. He may have turned down the wrong tunnel."

"I don't know," Broadway said. He thought that being the leader would be fun. After all he, Lexington and Brooklyn had fought for the position of second-in-command. Now he was beginning to understand why Goliath had chosen Brooklyn as his second. Broadway, a little slow at times, but smart in his own right, but Brooklyn was the one who could easily think and formulate a plan under pressure.

Broadway turned to Hudson. "What do you think, Hudson? Do you think we took the wrong tunnel?"

"It's hard to say, lad," said Hudson. "Though these tunnels look abandoned, humans have been coming and going. But I haven't seen any fresh footprints."

Broadway chewed his lower lip. "Let's keep going a little more. If Bronx doesn't pick up a scent, we'll turn around and head back."

Bronx suddenly barked and lunged forward. After three bounds he stopped and put his nose to the ground, whining.

Hudson knelt beside Bronx and inspected the ground. "There was a struggle here," he said after a moment. He pushed Bronx back so he could see the ground better. "These are not recent, but someone put up a fight."

"Any specifics?" asked Lexington.

Hudson continued to look. "Three men, one woman," he said after a moment. "There are boot prints all in different sizes and a woman's high heels, too. There are some drag marks." Hudson walked a few steps. "But they stop here. They most likely picked her up and carried her off."

Bronx growled deep in his throat. Clearly there was something here that he did not like.

Broadway gazed into the dark of the tunnel. "Let's keep moving. Maybe the same people who took her took Brooklyn."

It was a long shot, but it was the best lead they had. Broadway hoped that he was making the right choice.

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><p>Goliath glided beside Morgan. She had slowed her pace so Goliath could keep up. Now and then she would close her eyes and Goliath would reach over so he could grab her arm and change her course lest she glide into the side of a building.<p>

"I'm not going to hit anything," Morgan said. "I can see where I'm going when my eyes are closed." She reached up and pointed to her eyes. "At least, these eyes."

Goliath tried to understand. "So you don't use your eyes to see aura?"

"Not my physical eyes," Morgan said. "When I want to see energy, I focus on my sixth sense. I can see any type of energy, but I can only manipulate life energy."

"So you are able to see the electrical current running throughout power cables?" asked Goliath.

Morgan turned to look at Goliath. "As clearly as I see you at this moment."

"It must be difficult for you to sleep if you can see with your eyes closed," Goliath said.

"Not as difficult as it once was," Morgan said. "When I was much younger, I wouldn't get any sleep. Back then, I didn't know how to quiet my sixth sense."

Morgan scanned the city below her. "Ah! I found him."

They landed on a skyscraper. Morgan pointed to the street below.

"I do not see anything," said Goliath.

"They are underground," said Morgan. "I sense the old gargoyle along with four other energies."

Goliath began to search for an entrance to the underground tunnels. There was an abandoned subway tunnel entrance a few blocks away. "We can get to them from there," he said, pointing the entrance out to Morgan.

"Maybe we cannot," she said. "If I am seeing this correctly, the tunnels do not intersect right away. We will have to backtrack before we can meet up with them."

"Then we must hurry," said Goliath.

Morgan and Goliath entered the underground using the abandoned subway entrance. They ran along the tracks. Morgan suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" asked Goliath.

"That's odd," said Morgan.

"What is?" asked Goliath.

Morgan was quiet for a moment. "I am sensing a great energy," she answered. "It is concentrated in a small form."

"Is it your friend?" asked Goliath.

Morgan shook her head. "It's too small, like something you can hold in your hand." Morgan frowned. "It's moving, too."

Goliath's brow ridges furrowed in worry. "What could it be?"

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><p>Bronx stopped in his tracks and growled low in his throat, his eyes blazing white.<p>

"Bronx senses something," Angela said in a low voice.

Lexington looked ahead. "And I see someone!" He pointed to a figure moving in the dark.

It was a man dressed in black and a bright red and yellow vest with the insignia Goliath described to them.

"I knew that you would come for your friend," said the man. "But I was not expecting you so soon."

"Who are you?" demanded Broadway.

"Your end," said the man. He was holding what appeared to be a gold flute in his hand. He lifted it to his mouth.

"The Pied Piper's Pipe," Lexington said, remembering what Elisa told them.

The man began to play. It was a sweet tune. Lexington frowned. Why was something that beautiful so dangerous? He soon had his answer.

Without any warning, Hudson drew his sword and slashed at Broadway.

"Hudson, what are you doing?" yelled Broadway, leaping out of the blade's reached.

Angela whirled around and grabbed Lexington, snarling like a wild animal.

"Angela!" strained Lexington, trying to push her off. "Stop! You're hurting me!"

Bronx whined, not knowing what to do. He butted against Hudson's legs. Hudson took one look at the gargoyle dog and kicked him in the side. Bronx went down and whimpered. His old master never kicked him before. Not wanting to hurt his masters, but knowing he had to do something, Bronx disappeared into the darkness, looking for help.

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><p>Morgan stiffened. Her eyes flashed gold. She turned to a wall and stared at it. Goliath took one look at her and knew she wasn't staring at the wall, she was seeing what was on the other side.<p>

"We must hurry," said Morgan. She began to run down the tunnel with Goliath following.

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><p>Bronx sniffed for any sign of someone who could possibly help his masters. There were few scents, mostly those of the stranger playing the music. Then there was something! Another gargoyle: Brooklyn. Bronx ran, following the scent.<p>

Brooklyn and Ariana heard something large coming their way. They looked at each other and then turned around. Bronx pounced on Brooklyn.

"Bronx!" cried Brooklyn, pushing the eager gargoyle dog away. "Where did you come from?"

Bronx whined, his front paws anxiously tapping on the floor. He turned around and started back the way he came, looking behind to see if Brooklyn and Ariana were following.

"What's with him?" asked Ariana.

"He wants us to follow," said Brooklyn. "Something must have happened to the others!"

Brooklyn dashed ahead with Ariana calling for him to slow down.

The man with the Pipe was still playing and the gargoyles were still attacking each other. He saw the gargoyle dog return with another gargoyle. His eyes lit up with malicious glee as he saw that he had another puppet waiting to be controlled.

"Hudson! Angela!" Brooklyn yelled.

"They're under a spell!" shouted Broadway. He yelled out as Hudson tackled him and cut him across the chest.

Lexington let out a roar of agony as Angela tore through his right wing.

The man with the Pipe paused briefly to get his breath. Hudson and Angela faltered. The man began again and Angela and Hudson continued their assault.

"The pipe is controlling them," said Brooklyn.

Brooklyn understood. His worst fears had come true. The pipe the man was holding looked like the gold stick that had been stolen from the museum. The man was an Illuminator!

He turned to the man and charged. He was about to tackle him when there was a sharp pain in his leg. Brooklyn let out a roar. Bronx had bit him!

"Brooklyn, what — " Ariana had caught up with him.

"Get the flute away from him!" shouted Brooklyn.

The tune of the Pipe changed slightly. Angela turned from an unconscious Lexington to face her new foe. That foe just happened to be Ariana. Angela's eyes blazed blood red as she began to stalk the sorceress.

Ariana understood. The Illuminator was controlling them with the Pipe. "I guess the only way to stop this is to get him to stop playing the infernal thing," she said. Ariana smirked. "Or cancel it out."

She turned to Brooklyn. "A word of advice!" she called loudly over the sound of the Pipe and fighting gargoyles. "Cover your ears!"

Ariana took a deep breath. She watched as Angela was about to pounce on her. Before Angela could pounce, another form of music rang out over the sound of everything else, the tune of the Pied Piper's Pipe included. The voice that produced the music was soprano and trilled between the notes of a high-pitched scream and glass breaking. The sound was piercing.

The Illuminator abandoned the Pipe and covered his ears. The gargoyles did similar. Bronx howled and covered his head with his paws. After a long moment, the voice ceased.

The Illuminator let out a growl of frustration and bent down to get the Pipe. There was the snap of fabric and he cried out in pain, clutching his face. Black fabric with silver embroidery scooped up the Pipe and floated back to its owner.

"Good work, Manny," said Ariana.

Brooklyn turned to her. Her cheeks were a bit flushed, but she was smiling. "How come you didn't tell me you could do that?" he asked loudly.

Ariana shrugged. "You didn't ask," she replied. "And I didn't think it was important up until a moment ago."

Angela and Hudson shook their heads. Both of them looked up and blinked. They had blank looks on their faces.

"What happened?" asked Angela.

Hudson looked down. "Lad!" he cried when he saw Broadway lying in front of him.

"You don't know?" asked Brooklyn.

"What don't we know?" asked Angela.

"Looks like you guys don't remember anything," Broadway winced as he sat up. "I guess the Pipe wiped out your memories of attacking us."

"What?" asked Angela. She was horrified. "I attacked you?"

"Hudson attacked me," said Broadway. "You attacked Lex."

Brooklyn looked around. "Where is Lex anyway?"

They looked around. The smallest of the gargoyles was nowhere to be found.

"There you are!" Goliath and Morgan came running around the corner out of the darkness. "We were afraid that something had happened to you," said Goliath.

"I recognized your singing," Morgan said to Ariana. "We heard you a long way off."

"Goliath, you're okay!" jubilantly cried Brooklyn.

Ariana turned to Brooklyn. "I told you she could help him."

"We cannot find Lexington," Angela said.

Morgan shuddered and hurried into the shadows.

Goliath followed. He gasped at what he saw. "Lexington!"

Lexington was lying in a small pool of his blood, extremely pale and very close to death. His right wing appeared to be shredded and his left wing had several large tears. It was clear that even if he survived until sunrise, he would never glide again.

Goliath gathered the tiny form of his charge in his arms. Lexington let out a pitiful moan. The others gasped when he turned and they saw their friend and brother. He turned to Morgan.

"Can you heal him?" Goliath asked her. "Can you heal him, like you did me?"

Morgan nodded. "Put him down," she said.

Goliath lay Lexington on the ground and took a step back. Morgan kneeled beside Lexington.

"What is she doing?" asked Brooklyn.

"Give her room," Ariana said, taking a few steps back herself. "And be quiet. This is going to be hard on her."

Morgan placed her hands on Lexington's chest and closed her eyes. She synchronized her aura with his. Morgan could feel the beating of his heart, could feel every struggling breath, could feel all the pain. She concentrated on her own aura now one with Lexington's. She imagined it permeating his skin, entering his veins and flowing through his bloodstream, rushing it to where he needed it the most.

The others watched in awe as Morgan's body began to glow. It was not long before Lexington's body began to glow like hers as well. The light was coming from inside of them. Lexington's wings began to knit themselves back together.

The light finally stopped and Morgan's shoulders slumped as she stopped. They stared at the two of them; Morgan, completely exhausted by the look of it, and Lexington, his wings healed and his skin a healthier shade of olive.

"Good job, Morgan," said Ariana, helping her to her feet.

Morgan let out an airy laugh and leaned on Ariana's shoulder.

Lexington's eyes fluttered open. "What happened?" he asked.

Angela let out a cry of delight and hugged him. "You are all right! I thought I had killed you!"

"What?" asked Lexington. He stared at her blankly before he remembered what happened. "The man with the Pipe — where is he?"

Morgan turned.

Ariana was surprised when Morgan gave her a shove and she stumbled to the ground. She looked up and was about to ask her what she was doing when she saw the Illuminator with his hands at Morgan's throat. Morgan did not move, did not fight to escape him, and the Illuminator did not move himself. He let out a choked cry of shock and slumped to the ground. In Morgan's hand was a sword made out of the same energy as her wings. She had stabbed the Illuminator when he tried to hurt Ariana.

"He's not dead," said Morgan, looking at the Illuminator at her feet. "But he will need a doctor. My sword only kills when I want it to kill. And when I don't, it leaves a wound that is cauterized. He won't bleed out, but it still is painful."

They took the Illuminator to be with his friends. The others were still under the effects of Ariana's sleeping and nightmare spells.

"You did this?" Broadway asked Ariana. She nodded.

"Guess we need to find something to tie these guys up with," said Lexington, looking around for a chain or piece of steel bar they could bend.

"I can handle that," said Ariana. She stepped over to the Illuminators and took her spell book out of its bag. She stroked the spine and the silver clasps snapped open. Ariana flipped through several pages before placing her index finger on one page and scrolling down. She raised her hand and pointed at the Illuminators. "Les ata con hierro y acero!"

Scraps of iron and steel from around the tunnels collected themselves and formed a long, strong chain. The chain wrapped itself around the Illuminators, binding them together.

"Nice," said Brooklyn.

"Thank you," Ariana said, closing the book.

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><p>They left the Pied Piper's Pipe somewhere in plain sight and called the police. Elisa and Matt came with backup and retrieved the Pipe and arrested the Illuminators. By that time, the Illuminators had begun to wake. They blathered about monsters and witches. The officers laughed, Matt and Elisa along with them, but they had a feeling that part of what they were saying was true.<p>

At the castle, the others cleaned and bandaged their injuries. Morgan offered to heal Broadway and Brooklyn, but they politely turned her down.

"We'll heal when the sun rises," said Broadway.

"The concrete cure-all," Brooklyn said with a smile.

Ariana used the shower and Fox loaned her a set of clean clothes.

"That is much better!" she said as she came out to the courtyard where everyone had gathered.

The gargoyles eyes widened in shock. Ariana's hair was no longer silver, but stark white.

"What?" she asked, looking at their stunned faces. "It was wash-out hair dye. You didn't think my hair was naturally like that, did you?"

Brooklyn was the first to recover his voice. "That's why!" he cried, pointing at Ariana. "I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I saw you before. It's because I haven't!" He shook his head. "The lilt, the eyes, the face, the way you cast your spells on the Illuminators. I should have seen it earlier!"

Ariana smiled. "What?" she asked.

Brooklyn turned to the others. "You see it, too, right?"

"Yeah," said Broadway. "She looks a lot like the Magus."

"They could have been siblings," said Lexington.

"Well, thank you," said Ariana. "I guess. We should be getting home, Morgan. I know you have to go to work in the morning and we haven't been sleeping."

"We would glide you home," said Brooklyn. He looked to the east. "But the sun's going to be up in a few minutes. We would never make it back."

"I'm sure Owen wouldn't mind driving you home."

None of them had noticed Xanatos and Owen come outside.

Ariana looked at Morgan. "That would be great. I doubt Morgan could stay airborne for more than two minutes."

"I can't even get airborne," Morgan corrected.

"Would he mind a drive to the Lower East Side?" asked Ariana.

"I can handle myself," said Owen.

"Don't get out of the car," warned Ariana.

The sun was rising. Ariana and Morgan said their good-byes before the gargoyles turned to stone.

"Hey, Morgan," Lexington said as he took his place on the parapets. "Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome," said Morgan.

Ariana was standing close enough to them to hear. She gave Morgan a shove. Morgan looked at Ariana apprehensively.

"Well?" Ariana said. "Ask him!"

"Um, Lexington?" Morgan swallowed hard. "Will you come over for dinner tomorrow night? I'm cooking."

Lexington stared at her for a moment. He smiled. "Sure! If you're as good a cook as a healer, of course. I'm sure Goliath wouldn't mind."

Morgan let out a sigh of relief.

"Ah, what the heck!" said Ariana. She grabbed Brooklyn's arm. "Let's make it a double!"

"What?" asked Brooklyn.

At that moment, the sun rose over the horizon and the gargoyles turned to stone, Brooklyn's face frozen in his surprise.

"Come on," said Ariana, adjusting Manny on her shoulders. "Let's get home. We can get an hour of sleep before we have to be up for work."

The two girls went inside. Owen was waiting to take them home.

The girls would sleep during the car ride, Manny shared between them. Owen would have to reach back and shake them both awake when he pulled up in front of their apartment building. Ruth would be waiting on the front steps. She would thank him for bringing them home and lead them inside and put them to bed. Both girls would be late for work.

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><p><strong>*Translation of Ariana's binding spell: Bind them with iron and steel (Spanish).<strong>* **At least I think I have my translation correct.**

**Ariana and Morgan may be showing up in later stories, but who knows? (Certainly not me.)** **Tell me what you think of both of them. Thank you for reading! Special thanks to gargoyleslady for the plot and giving me ideas to keep this story going. Would not mind working with you again, love. Please, review.**


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